


Rising Sun

by gingerxbug



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M, Original Character(s), Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-12 14:36:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11739090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingerxbug/pseuds/gingerxbug
Summary: Instead of the happy ending Bella imagined for her wedding, she woke up stranded on Isle Esme stranded with a 'Dear John' letter. With the shock of her short term marriage and an impossible pregnancy, Bella Swan forces herself to take Edward's second disappearance with a grain of salt and do what's best for her life and the life of her family.  Original story rights to Stephenie Meyer.





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Bella couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The fancy scripture of her husband’s handwriting was jumbled and unusually messy, blurring together in her eyes. Her mind couldn’t comprehend, couldn’t analyze its true meaning. She didn’t know what to make of the words.

_I am leaving you..._

The piece of parchment fluttered from the grasp of her fingers and landed on the floor with a silent thump.  Instead of her gaze following its journey, she stared at her raised, yet limp hand. Bella’s body felt frozen and numb, unable to move. She could almost see her nearly whole heart shatter once more and for the same damn reason as the first time.

Edward was gone.

This time was different though. This time, the last time as he had stated, he left her stranded on Isle Esme, off the coast of South America. She was alone, not even able to just drive back to her father’s house. Not that she wanted to, anyway; what would Charlie say? _I told you so?!_ He could say that and Bella wouldn’t care. She knew he was right, she should have never believed he loved her.

Her body took control. Her mind was separate and had no control over her limbs and their actions. As she grabbed the first thing she could reach for, a stained glass vase, a guttural scream, one of pain and sorrow, came from her throat, tearing through her teeth. She launched it in whatever direction felt natural and the vase crashed into the door that lead to the en suite bathroom, smashing to unfixable pieces. She grabbed again; this time, her fingers latched onto a bottle of perfume she had received as a wedding present from Alice. That followed the vase’s footsteps, straight into the door.

For the next few days all Bella could do was cry and scream, and then scream and cry. She barely ate; she barely moved off the bed, out of her cocoon of blankets. She was always curled up in a ball underneath, despite the tropical weather and nothing to keep cool with. As far as she was concerned, she hoped she died. Somehow, some way, sometime soon, she wanted to die. It was a powerful feeling but an empty, yearning one.

She didn’t move until something changed.

Bella felt something prod her stomach on the fourth day. She opened her puffy, dry eyes, wondering what was touching her. She rolled onto her side and looked down at the bed. Nothing was there except for the smooth baby blue sheets.

 _I’m imagining things now, that’s just great,_ she muttered mentally and lay back down on the bed, her stomach flat against the sheet. She still felt the prodding; this time, it covered her lower abdomen and felt as hard as a rock.

“What the heck?” She asked herself and moved onto her hands and knees. She moved one hand over the sheets that were beneath her. Nothing was there; it was as soft as the first time she had laid there.

Climbing out of bed, Bella took her time. She knew she hadn’t eaten in days and that she would be weak. Holding onto something with each step, she carried herself to the bathroom, thinking maybe she had to go. Right as she was about to head in though, something caught her eye. She turned and faced the mirror, seeing her dirty, ratty self.

And a rather small but visible bump between her hips.

“That’s impossible,” she murmured as her eyes glued to the sight. She twisted and turned to see it at different angles, but nothing changed. That bump was definitely there.

Snapping out of her haze, Bella fumbled for her bag of personal products. She had learned from a young age to keep track of her periods and kept a miniature calendar to mark her days down. She looked at her last date and counted until the next time she was supposed to get her period. When she got her answer, she shook her head.

 _That can’t be right_ , she thought and recounted. Bella still got the same answer though. She was fourteen days late.

“Can a vampire even get someone pregnant?” She asked herself as she went back to the mirror. She poked at the bump, but it was hard like granite or marble. She poked again, only harder this time.

Something poked her back afterwards.

“Oh my God,” she squealed, jumping back a step. “This can’t be happening; it’s impossible!”

Bella knew enough that pregnancies didn’t work this way. A baby never developed that fast; she had grown an inch to two inches in less than four days!

Next thing she knew, her body was carrying her out of the room at a faster speed then she thought she would be able to walk at the moment. She first went into the kitchen and grabbed a bag of pretzels from the cabinet and then found Edward’s cell phone on the counter. She pulled a stool up and sat down before taking a pretzel and nibbling on it. She ate slowly as she went through the contact list. She first tried Alice, hoping that this time she wouldn’t leave her alone. All she got was a disconnection message.

She went through every contact of the Cullen family listed, which was everyone but Esme. No one picked up. It was either a disconnection message, like Alice, or a simple beeping noise. She tried Carlisle’s cell phone last, praying he didn’t get rid of his phone too. He couldn’t do that, not now. Not when she needed him as more than a father in law but also as a doctor.

Still, not even Carlisle picked up. She then tried the Denali Coven, hoping they would know how to get in touch with anyone from the Cullen family. Bella only got an answering machine.

She slammed the phone down on the counter, dropping her pretzel in the process. She held her head in her hands, trying to figure out what to do without getting upset again. She could go home, but it would be impossible telling Charlie how she was pregnant and showing already. Her mother would be a little bit gentler, yet still how could Bella explain this?

“The pack,” She whispered. They might know what to do. They could help her. They dealt with vampires and if the Cullen family left, wouldn’t they know? They had to!

Bella stumbled off the stool and looked around for the note Edward had left her. Skipping over his excuses for leaving her again, she found the section she wanted. He had left her a box filled with everything she would need in the future. The key was under her pillow and the box was under her bed. She left the note on the table and got the box and key as quickly as she could. As she opened it, she found a wallet full of credit cards. Underneath it was rows of cash, enough to hold her over several years.

“Bastard,” she muttered. To get this much together, she knew Edward had planned this. He knew he was going to leave her. He just wanted to break her heart first by marrying her and promising to make her dreams come true.

She reached for the cell again and this time tried calling Charlie. Her father answered on the first ring. He must have been at home. 

“Hello?” He asked after he had answered.

“Dad?” Bella asked in return to confirm it was her father.

“Bella? Hey, how’s it going at the island?” Her father asked his voice chipper. He must have finally gotten over her marriage.

Bella ignored his question though; if she told him in full what happened, she would break down and Charlie would probably end up killing someone.

“Dad, I’m coming home,” she said.

“So soon? Why? Is everything okay? Are you sick? Is Edward okay?”

Bella hesitated, making sure she wouldn’t break down again. “He left me dad,” she murmured.

“What do you mean ‘left you’? What, did he go to the mainland for something?”

Bella bit her lip. “No dad. He left, as in he’s gone. He just left me here and I need to come home.”

The string of curses that came from Charlie’s mouth would have put a sailor to shame. Bella had to pull the phone away from her ear and even flinched at his tone. There was no doubt that Charlie was angry. Actually, angry was an understatement. Charlie was royally furious.

“Bella…? How are you able to get home?” Charlie asked when he had stopped yelling. His voice was rough and raspy, almost as if he were going to cry.

“He left enough money to get home and a number to call the cleaning crew to get me back to the city,” she explained with a sigh.

“Do you want me to come get you? I can fly down immediately, I’ll leave now-”

“No dad, it’s fine. I remember each airport I need to get to so I’ll be okay. I’ll call you each time I land. Can you pick me up when I get to Seattle though? I don’t like cabs.”

“Of course baby, just please don’t get hurt. Do you have a number for the Cullen’s place? Never mind I’ll just go other there myself, see if I can get my hands on his neck,” Charlie grumbled. A shot of panic flew through Bella at the thought of Charlie trying to kill a vampire.

“No dad, don’t!” She exclaimed then fought to cover her words. “I’ve already tried each number in Edward’s phone. They’re all disconnected… I think they moved again. They did the last time he left too…”

“Bella, you aren’t going to run off after him again, are you? You really are coming home?”

Bella thought for a moment. “No, I’m not going after him. I don’t ever want to see his face again. I don’t want to hear from him and I don’t want to have to have my life revolve around him and his choices. I’m done with him.”

Inside, something snapped in Bella. She didn’t have the urge to cry anymore. She didn’t feel pain or sadness. She didn’t have that feeling of buried guilt or rejection. She didn’t have the urge to find him and beg him to take her back.

All she had was anger. Anger and hatred for him because he left her with…with his child!

“Dad… I’m going to start packing so I’ll call you when I get to the airport, but when I get home, we need to talk about some things, and you aren’t going to want to hear it.”

“Alright… well then be safe Bells, please. Just come home.”

“I love you dad.” With that, she hung up and started packing.

 


	2. Chapter Two

 

It took a total of two days to get back to Washington. It would have been sooner if some flights hadn’t been delayed or if Bella had just gone with a first class flight. She was being frugal though and wanted to save the money. She was going to need it, being a single mom and all.

When she had finally arrived at Seattle airport, Charlie was waiting in full uniform, even having his gun, which Bella noted was fully loaded. She sighed.

“Dad, he’s not coming here,” She murmured when she reached him with the cart full of her luggage. Charlie stepped forward and, as if he was total different person, enveloped Bella in a tight hug. He didn’t let go until Bella pushed him away gently.

“I wanted to be prepared,” he muttered and brushed her hair away from her face.

 _Like it would do a damn thing_ , she thought to herself with a mental scowl.

“Now what did you need to talk about that sounded so much more urgent than this mess?”

Bella swallowed harshly. Though she had enough time to think about it, she didn’t know how to approach the subject without having Charlie thinking she was crazy. “I think we should wait until we get back to the house. You know, more private and confidential?”

Charlie raised an eyebrow, but started to pack her luggage into the trunk and back seat of the police cruiser. Bella waddled over to the other side of the cruiser and got in; she made sure her dress was still loose around her abdomen. She had gained another visible inch around her hips and desperately didn’t want Charlie to notice.

The ride was somewhat silent. Charlie had pulled Bella up against his side to hold her close and comfort her. At first it was a shock to Bella; Charlie was never affectionate like that. Now, after knowing his daughter’s heart was broken yet again, he wanted to be there in every way possible; whether to comfort or to make sure she didn’t run off again, Bella didn’t know for sure.

Arriving back at the house felt like the first day she had come to Forks, only this time she was glad to be back. She got out of the cruiser gently and went to help Charlie grab her bags but he shooed her inside.

“Go call Billy; he needs to tell Jake you are home,” He ordered softly. Bella nodded; it wasn’t a bad idea. She didn’t know how Jake would react but she needed him now, whether he liked it or not.

Bella went into the house and went to grab the house phone. She dialed Billy’s number, a number she had memorized by heart and waited for an answer. Finally, the old Native American answered. “Hello?”

“Uh, hi Billy; this is Bella, Charlie’s daughter?”

“Bella! Goodness, what are you doing calling here on your honeymoon?” He asked in surprise. Bella winced; everyone would want to know why she was home.

“I’m actually at home, Billy. I left the island…is Jake home?”

“You’re at … home. Jake’s out in the barn, I’ll send for him,” Billy said, his tone of surprise dropped flat. Bella waited as she listened to his muffled voice yell at Embry to get Jake. He didn’t tell him it was her on the phone though.

It took a few minutes before Jake’s soft voice entered the background. Bella listened to them converse and had to stop herself from laughing when she heard Billy play dumb and tell him he didn’t know who had asked for him.

“Hello?” Jake asked as he answered the phone.

Bella closed her eyes, glad to hear his bass tone again.

“Um, hey kid,” she murmured awkwardly. It took a minute for her voice to register with him.

“Bella?” He asked; same shocked tone as his father.

“Yeah, that would be me.”

“What… why are you calling me on your honeymoon?” He questioned. Now he was suspicious.

“Well uh, honeymoon’s over Jake. I’m back home…can you come by? Please? I need to talk to you and I’m going to need your help with something,” Bella pleaded.

Silence plagued the phone for several moments.

“Are you still…?”

“Yeah Jake, I’m still human,” she answered low enough so that Charlie wouldn’t hear.

“I’ll be over in a few moments. Do I need to bring someone?”

“See if Sam can come. If not, then just you please. And hurry,” she said, her last two words ending in whispers. Jake hung up without so much as a goodbye and so Bella placed the phone back on the hook.

“What did Jake say?” Charlie asked as he finished bringing in her things. Bella shrugged halfheartedly.

“He’s coming over in a few minutes. I kind of need him here when we talk,” Bella explain lightly.

Charlie raised an eyebrow again.

“Why can’t you tell me without him here?” 

Bella bit her lip. “Because you won’t believe me or you’ll be so angry that someone’s going to have to hold you down,” she admitted. “I hope you won’t be angry with me, seeing as I didn’t have a choice.”

Charlie’s face softened. “Bella I couldn’t be angry with you.”

“You haven’t heard what I'm about to tell you. Go sit in the living room and I’ll make you some coffee until they get here,” Bella murmured.

Charlie nodded hesitantly but followed her orders and sat in the living room.

Just as Bella had finished making the coffee, a knock on the door sounded. Bella got the door and opened it, producing an image of Jacob, his alpha Sam, and Sam’s fiancée, Emily. Bella gave Jake a pointed stare but Emily spoke up.

“After Jake said you were home, I figured you would need a girl to talk to,” she said gently. It took Bella a moment to realize that she was right. Alice was always her support and now that she was gone, she would take what she would get.

Bella let them come in and led them into the living room. She handed Charlie his coffee then asked if Sam and Emily wanted some. Emily declined but Sam hadn’t.

“Jake, come help me,” she murmured, knowing she needed to talk to him first.

Jake followed her into the kitchen and once they were alone, he spun her around, forcing her to look at him. “Bella, why are you here?”

“Didn’t you miss me?” She asked jokingly but the small smile slipped from her lips until she was frowning. She sighed and leaned back against the counter as Jacob’s eyes demanded she tell him what was going on. “He left me Jake,” she finally said softly.

“He left you? Again?” The werewolf asked in a growl. Bella nodded.

“I woke up one day and he was gone, just like that. Left me a note, a bunch of cash, and then left.”

“Did you try calling the Cullens?”

“Phones are disconnected. I bet if you sent the boys over, they’d find an empty home,” she muttered as she started to make the coffee. Jacob did just that and used her phone to tell Embry, Jared and Paul to go search. After that he looked back at her with a suspicious glance.

“There’s something else you aren’t telling me, right?” He asked.

Bella nodded and held out her hand to him. He laid his own in hers without a second thought and she placed it against her stomach. As if sensing someone else’s presence, the creature inside kicked her, making Bella squeal lightly. Jake stared at her in shock.

“I have a little nudger, Jake,” she whispered.

“His child?”

Bella nodded. “It’s not a normal baby, Jake. A week ago, I was normal weight; now, not so much. I don’t know what to expect and with the Cullens gone, I need to find help and fast. I also don’t know how to explain to Charlie without directly telling him vampires exist. That would put him in danger.”

Jake still couldn’t get over the fact that she was pregnant. “He left you while you are _pregnant?!_ ”

Bella nodded again. “I don’t know why or how but I don’t care anymore. I just need to get help.”

Jake nodded. He ran his hand through his hair and looked out toward the living room. “I’ll do whatever you need.”

Bella nodded and hugged him tightly. Jake hugged her back and then led her out into the living room. She was visibly shaking by the time she came into Charlie’s view. He looked shocked at her sudden change of bravado.

“Bells?” He asked gently. Bella held up a hand to signify she was alright.

“Just give me a minute, please,” she murmured as she looked at him. She then looked at Jake, who gently hugged her shoulders.

“Maybe you should have Emily help you with this one,” he murmured.

“Help with what?” Emily asked. She stood, despite the warning glance she received from Sam. She stepped forward and pulled Bella away from Jacob’s grasps, before turning her away from the other men. “What is it?”

Bella looked down at her stomach and then back at Emily. When Emily still didn’t get it, she repeated the same actions she had done with Jacob. Emily gasped as she felt the hard bump on her stomach and looked at her in surprise.

“Vamp-”

Bella nodded. “Don’t say it. I can’t have Charlie knowing exactly what is going on,” she whispered.

No doubt Sam had already heard.

“Can you tell them yourself or would you like me to do it?” Emily asked quietly after hugging Bella gently. Bella shrugged.

“I just want to get it over with,” Bella responded.

Emily nodded and turned her back around to face her father, Jake and Sam. She kept her hand around Bella’s shoulder tightly to support her.

“Charlie, what do you know about the Cullen… family?”  Emily asked him gently.

Charlie appeared confused for a moment and before he could answer, Sam stood and glared at his fiancé.

“This isn’t your right to tell, Emily,” he said firmly. Emily rolled her eyes.

“It’ll be the abridged version. Besides, Bella can’t do this by herself. The poor girl has gone through enough the past few days, don’t you think?”

“You know what happens to humans who know,” Sam argued.

“He won’t ask what they really are,” Bella put in.

Sam looked at her and immediately his gaze was softer. He always identified with Bella easily, especially with the confusion she faced over the past two years.

“Are you sure about that?”

“What the hell is going on?!” Charlie finally snapped, silencing the three.

Bella looked at her father and watched as he ran his hands through his hair roughly; he always did that when he was frustrated. “What do you four know that I don’t? And what is all this damn talk about the Cullens being something else?”

“Charlie, I would sit down for this,” Jacob murmured as he gently pushed Charlie back onto the couch. Charlie then looked at Bella for help, his eyes confused, frustrated, and tired.

“Bells, what in god’s name is wrong?”

Bella swallowed harshly and stepped away from Emily’s support. She rubbed her eyes then took several deep breaths before looking back at Charlie.

“Dad, the Cullen family isn’t human. They never were.”

“They aren’t… humans. Bells, what kind of joke is that?”

“I’m serious Dad, think about it. Dr. Cullen and his wife, their kids… none of them look alike but yet they all have the same golden eyes. You never see them in sunlight, yet they are all brilliant and talented. Remember the wedding? None of them ate anything yet they had the most energy out of all of us. Just think about it.”

Charlie stared at her like she had three heads. Bella expected that of course; what else would his reaction be like? Accepting? Never.

“She’s right Charlie; they aren’t normal. We can’t tell you what they are because it will put you in danger. It’s bad enough Bella’s life has been in jeopardy for the past two years because of them,” Sam muttered as he sat back down.

Charlie was silent as he looked down at the floor. He played with his hands, thinking about what to say next.  He didn’t know what to say, what to think. All he knew was that all of this sounded horrible.

“If this is true, Bells… why did you stay with him?” Charlie finally asked. His voice was sad, defeated and rough; it broke Bella’s heart.

Emily spoke before Bella opened her mouth. “Charlie, I don’t think Bella had a choice. These people… their kind is very charismatic; they are good with manipulating emotions. They have to be if they want to survive. Bella fell in a trap with Edward because he was… drawn to her. He made her fall in love, left her, and then came back. All of us honestly thought he did love her, but he left her again. It’s a game to him, but he’s taken it too far this time. And now, Bella will suffer because of him.”

“Suffer? What do you mean? I know he left and you loved him Bells but you’ll find someone who deserves you. We’ll get the marriage annulled and you can start fresh,” Charlie explained but stopped when Bella held up her hand. For the first time since she realized what was going on, she shed a tear.

“Dad, I don’t think it is possible to start over from this,” She murmured.

“Well why not? So the prick hurt you; you’re strong. You’ll pull through, you did once before. I know you will.”

“No dad, I won’t,” Bella whispered.

“You’re over thinking this, Bells. It isn’t the end of the world; you know how to handle it this time-”

“Charlie, I’m pregnant!” Bella finally snapped.

Charlie froze in silence, staring at her yet again. This time, his face was emotionless and blank. This scared Bella more than when he was angry. Suddenly, she wished she had never come home in the first place.

She needed to though.

“Pregnant?” He whispered. He looked at Sam, wondering if he had heard her right, but all Sam could do was stare at Bella. He hadn’t expected it either.

“Yes, pregnant,” Bella whispered. “He never said anything about the possibility of getting pregnant so I didn’t think to use a condom. Carlisle never mentioned it so I guess none of us expected it was a possibility.”

“Does he know? Cullen?” Sam asked in a growl.

Bella repressed cringing from his tone and shook her head.

“If he did, he knew before I did. I only found out a few days after I discovered he was gone,” She answered and turned to Emily.  “I may not have experience, but I don’t think I’m supposed to start showing only days after conception, Emily. I don’t think the baby is human.”

“That’s just lovely; you’re going to give birth to a hybrid,” Jacob laughed humorlessly. “What are you going to do? Nurse it what it needs when it’s born? You sure as hell can’t breast feed it.”

Bella bit her lip as she looked down. She didn’t respond.

“Bella what is it?” Sam asked, taking a step forward. Emily placed her hand back on Bella's shoulder, pressing her to answer.

 “I have a feeling I won’t even get the chance to hold him,” She whispered as she looked up at Jacob.

Charlie shot out of his seat. “That…that thing will kill you?” He exclaimed.

“He’s not a thing! Don’t call him that!” Bella snapped at her father then scowled at the floor. “I don’t know but the fact that I’ve grown about three inches from in only a few days, giving birth won’t be pretty. And it certainly won’t take nine months.”

“Bella you can’t keep the baby,” Charlie said softly. He stood next to Sam and stared at her stomach. “You can’t keep it if it will kill you. You just can’t.”

“We’ll need to get rid of it, before it grows anymore. We don’t know what kind of damage it will cause and we can’t have it kill you,” Sam added with a nod.

“Absolutely not!”  Bella squealed, her hands covering her belly. “You are not going to kill him! I won’t let you.”

“Like you could stop us,” Jacob muttered. Sam shot him a look and then stepped closer to Bella, forcing her to step back more.

“Bella, that baby is a danger. It’s a monster, just like its father.”

“I can’t let him go,” she whimpered in return.

“You can’t hang onto it, Bells!” Jacob snapped. He pushed his way in front of his alpha and grabbed onto Bella’s shoulders, pulling her close to him. “You can’t keep the baby just to keep him close. It won’t be a reminder of Cullen and all it will do is hurt you more and more.”

The slap came before either of them knew what was going on. Bella’s hand came in contact with Jacob’s cheek with a loud clap-like noise. It didn’t hurt her this time, like it had when she had punched him. She guessed that it was because of how angry she was this time.

“I don’t want him because of Cullen, Jacob! He’s just as much a part of me as he is of him. I’m not going to let his father dictate how I love him and whether he lives or not!”

“Bells, that baby is evil,” Charlie said as he pulled Jacob back from her. “I don’t want to lose you over this…you can always have another child. Hell if you want you can adopt a child as soon as you want; just don’t let this take you away from me, not again.”

“It won’t kill me,” Bella whispered. Right now, she knew she wasn’t going to die. She couldn’t because she would have a baby to take care of. Death wasn’t an option.

Becoming one of them was though.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews and the props! I love hearing from you guys, so please let me know your thoughts. 
> 
> Also, I'm interested in looking for a beta, possibly for both fanfiction as well as original work. If you are interested in something like that or know somewhere I could find one, let me know please!


	3. Chapter Three

 

Bella was alone in her room. About an hour after the news, Sam and Jacob left to go ‘discuss’ with the rest of the pack. Emily stayed for an hour after that but then had to leave to start supper for her house guests. Charlie didn’t bother her afterward either; he was still angry that she wanted to keep her baby.

How could he blame her though? This was her child! Sure, the child was half part of a monster but that made him no much less than half of her. She would learn to get over any reminders the child gave her of him anyways. She would force herself, for the sake of her child.

The only problem was that she was sure the pack would find a way to force her into giving up her child. Knowing that the baby was a vampire hybrid, Sam and Jake would want it dead before it developed the possibility of even thinking. Charlie would be on their side for sure, despite not knowing the full story.

“But you can think, can’t you?” Bella asked in a sweet voice as she looked down at her slowly growing stomach. She felt the baby kick once, then twice, only seconds apart. She felt overwhelmed with joy. “My little nudger; I’ll never let anyone hurt you, I promise.”

She felt two more kicks, this time only a heartbeat between them. Bella couldn’t help but let her grin spread wider as she patted her taunt abdomen.

As she sat on her bed, she couldn’t help but let her mind wonder. She needed to find someone who would help her with her child, another vampire. That bad feeling in her gut told her repeatedly that there was no chance she would survive the pregnancy if she was left unchanged so now she needed someone to help her give birth, change her after her baby was safe, and keep them safe. But there wasn’t anyone who would do that for a stranger.

 _I don’t need a stranger,_ Bella thought to herself as the only other vampires she knew about popped into her head.

The Volturi.

At first, she wondered how she could think of them. They were cruel, sadistic, and terrifying but then Bella remembered what Aro had said when she had met him. He wanted to see what she was like as a vampire. He wanted her power.

Staring at the case full of money that sat on her dresser, she hesitated as she patted her stomach then closed her eyes. It was her only choice.

 

Leaving a note on the table was probably not the best thing to do. She had done that the last time she went to Italy and had nearly given Charlie heart failure. She knew that if she didn’t and had just told him face to face though, he would never let her step foot out of her bedroom.

She proceeded to carry all of her bags out to the curb. She still had the car the Cullen’s gave her, the missile proof one, and so she packed everything into the backseats. She had remembered to grab the keys so after going back and locking the front door, she got into the car and drove off to go to the airport.

She used the cash for the tickets. Bella thought it was the safest option so no one would knew what she was doing. Since she bought first class, she didn’t have long to wait until she boarded her flight.

Once she was on the plane, Bella settled in the soft leather seats with a sigh. She had gotten changed into something comfortable for the plane ride, just a pair of jeans and an overly big sweatshirt with her hair pulled back into a low ponytail. She decided that once she arrived in Italy, she would wear something fancier, like one of the dresses Alice had given her. For now though, she would sleep.

 

Because of having to change flights twice, it took a day to arrive in Italy. When she did get there, it was morning; the weather was sunny and well-tempered. After getting off her last plane, she made her way to the restrooms with her luggage and went into the last stall. She must have gone through three bags before finding one with appropriate attire.

She picked a floor length, black silk gown that had crystalline designs across the hips and under her bust. Bella pulled it onto her body and noticed how it was tighter around her midsection, wincing at the fact she had grown yet another inch or two.

After getting changed, she pulled a pair of flats on and went to the mirror to fix her hair and makeup. When she finished, she drug everything outside and went to customer service to find out how to rent a car.

Five hours later, she was in Volterra.

Bella made sure to look perfect before approaching one of the entrances. She knocked once, then twice and waited. When no one answered, she knocked again and waited. Surely they heard her, right?

“That isn’t the safest thing to do, Mrs. Cullen,” a smooth growl sounded from behind her. She froze and tried to recognize the voice from the last time she was here but couldn’t so she turned around. Standing not even five feet away was a giant man, tall and muscular, somewhat comparable to her ex-brother-in-law, Emmett Cullen. His eyes were red and though out of the sun his skin shined lightly. She definitely remembered this man now, especially since Aro had planned for him to kill her. His name was Felix.

“It’s Swan, not Cullen,” she muttered and looked him in the eye, despite her rising fear. He could kill her right now and she would not be able to do anything to save herself. He was right; it wasn’t safe. It was her only choice though. “I need to speak to Aro.”

Felix’s eyebrows rose at the mention of her former last name. He glanced at her hand; Bella figured he was looking for a wedding ring. He wouldn’t find it though; she had left it back home.

“Why would you dare confront Aro? Still as a human, no doubt?” He questioned. His tone expressed his disbelief and his eyes showed amusement, making Bella frown.

“I have an offer to make him. So if you would please lead the way. I’m sure he would love to hear what I have to say,” Bella argued lightly. She had no clue where the determination came from. Was it the fact that this was her last hope on staying alive, keeping her child, and raising it properly and not from a grave?

The answer was simple: yes.

“An offer, for Aro? Are you offering yourself up as a meal?” Felix asked; he made no attempt at covering his amusement this time.

“Not quite. Now please, I would rather get this done and over with.”

“You do realize that if he says no to this ‘deal’ you propose you won’t leave here alive.”

“If he says yes, I won’t be alive anyways,” Bella countered. That brought Felix into a whole new level of curiosity. He said no more and opened the door for her, not wanting to hesitate anymore. He had to admit, for the first time in centuries, a human had peaked his interest.

Felix let her go in and then closed the door behind them. He placed a hand on her shoulder to guide her in the right direction because she could not see in the darkness while he could see perfectly clear. He was gentle with her, knowing that if her deal meant what he thought it did, Aro would kill him if something happened to her.

When they arrived in the final corridor to the throne room, where the rulers sat eternally, Bella felt her breath catch in her throat. This would be the end of her life, whether her answer would be yes, or no. At least then she knew she tried.

Felix pushed the door open, ignoring the protests in Italian from their human secretary and stepped aside to let Bella through. Immediately, she caught the attention of all three leaders.

“Mrs. Cullen! What a pleasure to have you in our home, though quite a surprise!” Aro said enthusiastically. He truly was shocked; even a human could see that.

“She goes by Swan still, Aro,” Felix muttered softly. This surprised Aro even more.

“Such a modern tactic, my dear; pray tell, where is the rest of the family? And why are you still human?” He questioned Bella as he stood. One minute he was standing up from his throne and the next moment he was in front of her. He held out his hand cautiously, probably remembering the last time he had done this.

“They’re gone,” she muttered as she placed both hands into his lightly. He covered her hands with his other hand and tried to get a glimpse into her hidden mind. When his eyebrows furrowed together, she knew he had failed again.

“Since I cannot see for myself, will you please clarify your story? What do you mean, they left?”  Aro requested. Bella sighed and relayed her story to Aro in full detail. She stopped when she had gotten to the part of finding the note and becoming severally depressed. Aro’s crimson eyes had continually widened as he took in all the information and by the time she was finished, he was speechless.

However instead of Aro speaking, Caius stood up from his throne with a pointed glare. “So you came here to complain and ask for revenge?”

Aro held up a hand to silence him, which he obeyed. “Isabella dear, why do I know you are leaving something out that is very important to your tale?”

“Because I am,” Bella responded quietly. “I doubt that Edward knew before he left; he might have killed me if he knew or had his father study me because of how shocking it is. You might want to do the same but I didn’t know who else to go to for help. The Cullen coven abandoned me and their cousins in Alaska, the Denali coven, won’t answer my calls.”

Aro tilted his head as he examined her. Nothing seemed different, except for her cheek bones which became sunken in and her eyes which were bruised underneath. “Miss Swan, what is wrong that is so drastic?”

Bella looked down at the ground. “Aro, how many heartbeats are in this room right now?”

Aro was perplexed by her question but listened carefully. He could hear Bella’s own nervous tune yet it was intermixed with another sound, one that resembled the thrumming of a humming bird’s wings. When he strained his hearing a little bit, he heard more. His eyes darted to her stomach and for a first time, he saw the slight bulge between her hips.

“He impregnated you? You are carrying twins?”

Bella’s head snapped up at the mention of twins. “There’s more than one?” She asked, dumbfounded. She had two little nudgers? There was two babies growing inside her?

Aro held out his hand out in front of her but paused right before he touched her. “May I?” he questioned in awe. Bella had only then noticed that his brothers had come forth to study their interaction.

She nodded in response so Aro placed his hands on her swollen stomach gently. His thumbs brushed against the hard mass gently as he closed his eyes. He inhaled deeply before releasing the unneeded air.

“They have thoughts; short and scattered, yet still thoughts,” he murmured and reopened his eyes. The blood colored irises gazed meaningfully at Bella as a slow smile gazed across his lips. “You are with twins, Isabella. You are blessed with a miracle behind anything possible.”

“Is this why you came to us?” Caius asked. Bella was shocked by his tone. The normal coldness and cruelty was gone and replaced by curiosity and warmth. She nodded though in return.

“I know I will not survive the pregnancy human. I can’t, not with two hybrid children. They’ll be stronger than I am before they are born. So I came here to offer a deal if you help me.”

“Elaborate,” Marcus murmured in his normal monotone voice.

“If you can help me deliver, change me into a vampire, and take care of them until I awaken, I will become a part of your guard. Aro, you already know I have some sort of potential, especially since you still cannot read me. You can use my gift to whatever advantage you wish and if my children are gifted also, they too will join when they are old enough. That is what I offer in return for your help.”

Aro was shocked by her plan but was pleased. He had wanted to know what Isabella’s gift was since he discovered her ability.

“Brothers? Your opinions, please?” He asked without looking at the other vampires.

“Her gift is valuable and powerful; with the cross between hers and the gift of their father, I have no doubt the children will be equally as strong as they are combined,” Caius answered with approval.

“Some children will bring liveliness to our home,” Marcus added.

“Then it is done,” Aro said with a smile. He held his hand out to her and Bella shook it. She had just given her life away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okie so I can't see anywhere in the edits for an option to make the story an in-progress. I really don't know what's wrong with it and the only thing I can thing of is deleting it and starting over...? I don't know. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you guys like this! Let me know your thoughts. Also, still looking for a beta so there's that. Thanks guys!


	4. Chapter Four

It was set and final. Bella had become a part of the Volturi as their human pet until she gave birth, which then she would finally become a vampire. She was treated as an equal though before, despite the major differences.

Not long after Bella had been showed where she would be staying, she wrote two letters: one to Charlie and another to Jacob and Sam. She explained what was going on without actually telling Charlie that she was becoming a vampire. She merely stated that she would be in Italy to give birth to what were now twins and afterwards, she would not be the same. With Aro’s permission though, she promised Charlie she would bring home his grandchildren so he could see them every so often.

Though she had been afraid at first, Bella had soon become close friends and dependent on Jane. It was weird for her, becoming best friends with the girl who had wanted to hurt her but Bella learned that Jane was a complete different person than who she was around the Cullen coven; it was a defense mechanism.

Bella had decided with the help of Aro that the children would be raised in a family like manner. Jane had claimed the right to play the role of an older sister to them and her brother Alec would be an older brother. Felix, Demetri, and Heidi would be could be family friends, perhaps even aunt and uncles. Aro and Marcus were closely related to the role of grandfathers with their wise decisions and thinking.  

Caius was a different story. Bella knew that when she had first met him, he wanted her dead. The ancient yet incredibly young looking vampire always believed that their secret should be strictly confined only to the vampire society and their victims. Now that he had proof Bella would be an asset once she was turned, as well as her children, Caius had warmed up to her quickly. They had become close and he had become quite protective of Bella, always hovering so closely and keeping an eye on her.

It was decided that he would be the father influence of Bella’s children. Strangely, she was more than okay with that.

 

“It should be any day now Isabella, if my calculations are correct. With how fast you have grown in the past two months, compared to a normal pregnancy, it should be in the next few days.”

Bella couldn’t believe the doctor’s words. Not only would her children be born close to her nineteenth birthday, she would most likely stop aging forever if they changed her in time. It could also be the end of her life altogether.

“Have you thought any names, Bella?” Heidi asked her as she stroked her forehead with a cold rag to keep her cool. The pregnancy was harsh on her human body and a fever was just one of the many problems that came with it. She also was paralyzed from the waist down because of the lack of muscle tone and the babies had also broken a few of her ribs from being playful and kicking.

It would all be worth it in the end, though.

“It’s hard to decide,” Bella whispered. She could barely speak louder than that at times.

“Well what name would you chose if you had two boys?”

“Noah… I like the name Noah. And Jacob for the second boy.”

“And if you have two girls?”

Bella pursed her lips as she thought. “Evangeline…that’s a pretty name; Lily is pretty too.”

“So if you have a boy and a girl, you could name them Noah Jacob and Evangeline Lily. They sound perfect for two little angels, don’t they?”

“But what if it’s two of the same gender? Then she needs to pick two more middle names,” Demetri butted in. Bella hadn’t even considered that; she was so fixated on the names Heidi had put together.

_Noah Jacob and Evangeline Lily Swan; perfect._

“They don’t need middle names, Demetri. They can be just as sweet with one name,” Jane murmured to him. Bella hadn’t even seen her come in. Jane grabbed onto her hand gently and Bella shivered at the drastic change in temperature. “How are you doing Bells?”

“Peachy,” Bella answered with a tired grin. She lay back on the cot and closed her eyes as she breathed deeply.  It was hard on her lungs with the broken ribs creating more pressure but the twins kept kicking her. “I guess they are a playful bunch,” Bella muttered to herself.

“Will we have to turn her right after she gives birth, doctor?” Heidi asked him.

“My guess is yes. Though the blood she’s been drinking has made her stronger, it will still be very complicated, especially since these children are more capable of different actions of normal human children when they are at least six months old. I expect a lot of blood loss and pain for Bella so we will try morphine to take the edge off.”

“Bella? Are you sure about this?” Jane asked when her attention caught the word pain.

Bella nodded though. She had to go through with this. They were her babies.

 

The doctor’s expectations were correct. There was definitely a lot of blood and a lot of pain for Bella.

When Bella went into labor, it was a violent situation. For a moment, only a short moment, she was frozen. All she did was stare ahead as a sharp pain shot through her body, momentarily paralyzing her. Next, a scream erupted from her lips, the sound wild and excruciatingly high pitched. The scream was then cut off by a fountain of blood spewing from her mouth as her back twisted in an unnatural angle, possibility breaking her spine in half.

Before she collapsed to the floor, Heidi dove under and caught her, keeping her head from hitting the stone ground. She growled at the others to move out of the way as she swiftly swung a coughing Isabella into her arms and rushed off to find the room they had prepared for the delivery.  Though most of them wanted to be with their human pet as she went through the labor and change, only Heidi could handle the scent of Bella’s blood. She had mentally prepared herself to ignore the mouthwatering aroma.

“Doctor!” The vampire screeched. The man who had worked over Bella for the past few months came into the room, followed by five to six chamber maids.

“What has happened?” He asked Heidi, staring in horror at Bella’s mangled body.

“She’s going into labor, you imbecile. You never said it would be like this!” Heidi growled. The doctor ignored her statement and immediately started to process the whole situation.

“With possible spine damage, she won’t be able to deliver normally. We’ll have to perform a C-section on her abdomen, though I will possibly need your help if I can’t cut through the membrane,” he explained as calmly as he could. One of the chamber maids handed him a scalpel as another lifted the blood drenched dress off her skin. He sterilized her stomach with simple peroxide and started to cut through Bella’s skin, leaving a trail of blood behind.

Bella’s screams got louder, startling the doctor from his haze. He stopped the scalpel and directed one of the nurses to give Bella a dosage of Morphine. As the needle broke through her skin and the morphine slipped into her veins and filled her body, she started to calm down. The screams settled a bit as she started to lose feeling across her body.

Bella couldn’t tell if only seconds passed or if it had been hours before the first of the two was removed. Off in the distance, she could hear the slight cries but in her mind, it was recognized as bells.

“Evangeline,” Heidi whispered as she cradled the baby in the soft towel, cleaning her gently. The baby girl was beautiful, even gorgeous. Her little eyes opened after the blood was wiped off her eyelids, revealing the deepest and richest brown color Heidi had ever seen. On top of her head were brown curls that looked more delicate than feathers. Her skin was almost as pale as Heidi’s and glimmered under the light, yet her cheeks were rosy as a bed of rose petals.

“Almost there, Bella; just a few more moments,” Heidi whispered to the human, holding out little Evangeline for her to see. Bella’s eyes, opened only half way, connected with her daughter’s gaze and immediately, all pain went away for the moment.

“Evangeline,” she whispered. Her voice was calm and peaceful, which scared Heidi more than anything.

“Bella, you need to keep your heart beating. Not for you, not for me, but for your children. Think of Evangeline.” Heidi paused as she saw the doctor removing the second child and giving the baby to one of the maids to hold and clean. A smile spread across her lips. “Think about Evangeline Lily and Noah Jacob, Bella; they need you more than the world.”

Though Bella wanted to stay with them and be able to hold her children and raise them like the good mother she planned to be, she could feel her breathing decrease and her pulse slow down dramatically. She was losing too much blood and the damage was too great.

“Take care of them Heidi,” Bella barely whispered; the words came out as her few last breathes. Heidi’s eyes widened. She thrust Evangeline over to another maid and screamed for the others to come in now.

“You aren’t leaving us,” Heidi growled. Letting her instincts take over, Heidi climbed over Bella’s body, right as her eyes shut. “I won’t let you leave them behind, they need you Bells!”

Heidi bared her teeth and tore into Bella’s neck, letting her venom soak into her carotid artery. She bit the other side before climbing off and standing at the side. She glanced at the others, who watched with shock at the scene.

“Jane, start compressions; the rest of you, bite every fucking vein you can reach on her body,” Heidi growled. They immediately went to work and ignored the doctor when he protested.

“You’re strength will kill her! And besides, more blood will be lost if you bite her,” he shouted in panic. Heidi silenced him with a feral growl. Her protectiveness over Bella was beginning to show and just now was she realizing how attached she had become to the human.

“Get out,” she said lowly, her voice filled with malice. Taking no repeats, the doctor listened and scampered out of room before he became the next victim. Still though, he was sure Isabella Swan would not make it.

Heidi proved him wrong.

 

Bella’s body was still as a statue. She never moved, never opened her eyes. If it weren’t for the soft, barely there pulse in her wrist, they might have believed it was too late for Bella. It wasn’t though. It was just the little bit of morphine keeping Bella from withering in pain aloud.

Heidi stuck with her friend through the whole process, never leaving her side. She went without feeding just to be with Bella. She felt guilty that she had never realized how important Bella had become to her in the past two months. When Bella had finished the changing process, she planned on making it up to her.

Both Evangeline and Noah were extremely healthy. Like they had in the womb, the twins grew at an exceptional pace. When Bella would wake up, she would see them and think three months had gone by, not three days.

Evangeline resembled Bella to the fullest. Her eyes and hair were both a chocolate brown, rich and warm to the senses. Her skin was a bit paler than when she was born but her cheeks were still the vibrant crimson color, reminding her care takers that she was still human. Her scent wasn’t delicious like they would have expected but instead reminded all of them of a garden that contained every fresh smelling flower in the world. Her most prominent scent was Freesia, a trait she had inherited from her mother.

Noah was a little different from his twin sister. His appearance took mostly after his father with his bronze hair and emerald eyes, though he was a considerate amount more beautiful than the infamous Edward Cullen. His facial features were sharp and angular with a slim and semi-long nose. His skin was just like Evangeline’s but his cheeks weren’t as colorful. His scent was kind of like Evangeline’s floral aroma but Noah’s was muskier and woodsy.

Both were the best looking kids Heidi had ever seen.

On the third and final day of Bella’s process, her heart finally started to pick up. Heidi watched as the changes happened while the beating in her chest raced on. Her chest rose and became straight again, a sign that her spine was good as new. All of the bite marks scaled over and then disappeared almost completely to the point where they could not be seen unless someone was looking for them. Her muscles on her legs and arms became toned and firmed again while her waist filled in a bit more to be proportioned to the rest of her body. Everything was rebuilding for what was lost during the pregnancy.

Her skin grew paler yet healthier at the same time. Beneath the light makeup Heidi had applied, Bella’s physical appearance started to alter. Her hair and eyebrows were suddenly darker, becoming a more vibrant shade of brown than any human possessed. None of the pores on her body could be seen and all blemishes were gone. Her lips grew a little fuller and gained a soft pink color while the heavy bruises under her eyes nearly disappeared, leaving the soft light purple tint that all vampires possessed. 

She was becoming beautiful.

By the time the physical changes finished, her heartbeat had risen to a terrifying speed. The only thought in Heidi’s mind was that it would burst when the pressure became too much.

Inside Bella’s mind though, there wasn’t any more pain. It was overwhelmed by the memories of her human life replaying like the tape of her life was rewinding. It started off with the day she made a deal with Aro and then continued to when she found out she was pregnant and her shock. She could see her expression. Next was her finding the final note Edward had left her saying that it was over, once and for all. Before that was the first time she was intimate with Edward and then her wedding. After that, it was a blur and as they progressed, her heart kept getting faster and faster.

She saw the fight between Edward and Victoria, her kiss to Jacob, all of the training sessions between the Cullen Coven and the wolves, her graduation party, the actual graduation, Edward proposing, her first encounter with the Volturi, running into Edward to stop him from exposing himself to humans, Alice coming back, her incident with jumping off the cliff, finding out about the pack, Laurent nearly killing her after seeing that the Cullens were gone, riding bikes with Jacob, her being depressed for months on end, Edward leaving her in the woods the first time, her eighteenth birthday party where she was nearly attacked by Jasper, Prom from junior year…

Her heart kept beating faster and faster, morphing into a dying machine that struggled for life….

….James attacking her in the ballet studio, the chase, the baseball game, meeting the Cullen family for the first time, being in the meadow with him, finding out what Edward and his family really were, being saved by Edward in Portland, Edward stopping the van from hitting her, his first reaction to her, seeing the Cullens for the first time in the cafeteria, seeing Charlie again after several years, her flight from Phoenix to Forks, saying goodbye to Rene, her dance lessons in the studio…

Her heart slowed down at the final memory, one she didn’t even know she had. It was of her being held by both Renee and Charlie as a baby. They were happy then; a full family with nothing to worry about, and it was Bella’s only memory of the Swan family together.

With that her heart started to slow, trotting to its last beats. Heidi stood from her seat and watched Bella’s face anxiously as she waited for its final step. She couldn’t smell the blood in Bella’s veins anymore and her heart was just about ready to give in… only seconds longer...

When her heart finally stopped beating, it was silence for a moment. There was no movement from the girl on the table. Heidi’s worry peaked and she wanted to reach out and touch her. “Isabella?” She asked in a whisper. No response.

Somewhere, rooms down from the one they were in, there was a whimper. A tiny voice spoke. It was so soft, a whisper of the mind that not even Heidi could hear it. Bella could hear it though… she could hear it above anything else in the world.

_Mama…mama wake up._

Her eyes fluttered open. They were red.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! Sorry it's been a little bit. I'm n the middle of some personal issues. Hope you guys enjoy! Let me know.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter five

Bella’s POV

There are some days where I wish I could sleep. Just to get lost in dreams and escape reality is an ability humans take for granted; I can never indulge in that. I miss it and wish I still could crawl under a blanket and just lay there. I needed that right now, to reduce my stress levels. I needed some serenity, some relaxation.

I haven’t been able to do that for the past century.

I stared at the mirror with soft eyes and wondered how much I’ve changed. Physically, the last time I changed was my nineteenth birthday, but emotionally I feel something changes every day. I’ve become less of the person I was born to be every minute, every second. I’m strangely fine with that. When I think of who I was as a human, I recognize all of my faults. I was weak; I was vulnerable. Now I have the strength of steel. I’m okay now.

The dress Heidi had laid out for me fit my body perfectly. It wasn’t too tight; it just hugged in the right places. It was a beautiful gown in a shade of red that was a little bit darker than my eyes. The color contrasted with my body, seeming more dramatic because of my pale skin and dark hair. The silky fabric was a rich satin, made of what I was sure was only the finest of its kind. The torso of the dress was fitted and decorated lightly with crystal beading. It was floor length, only showing my black ballet flats when I walked a certain way.

Because of the dress, I left my face free of makeup, not that I needed it anyways. My hair was lying in simple curls that reached my mid back and covered my shoulders. Adding the choker-ribbon that carried my family’s crest and the ring Evie and Noah had given me decades ago, I was ready.

I was beautiful, as usual.

Tonight was a party; me and my children’s party, to be exact. Tonight was my birthday, as was it Evie’s and Noah’s; our chosen birthday. They were a hundred years old. I was a hundred and nineteen. The three of us were frozen in teenage beauty, never aging, always gorgeous. That was a part of the vampire life style, anyways. That with brilliant speed and brutal strength… combined, we were the perfect killers with ultimate senses. Nothing would stand in our way.

I left my room with a bag in hand: presents for Evie and Noah. They had told me earlier, as per every year, they wanted nothing for their birthdays. I wouldn’t have it, though. They were my children so I had the right to give them gifts, whether they liked it or not. It was the same for the rest of the guard; as much as the twins complained, they always got their presents.

Unfortunately, it was the same for me.

At the end of the corridor, Noah and Evie talked in quiet whispers. Noah was dressed in a black suit paired with a black tie and a red shirt that was similar to my dress. On his wrist was our crest welded into a metal band and in his suit pocket was a red carnation flower. Evie’s dress was similar to mine but in a different shade of red and less intricate beading. She too adorned our crest on a long silver chain and a carnation weaved into her long hair.

As if sensing me, they looked up and smiled. They walked forward to meet me and Evie handed me a box. I looked at her curiously and her soft smile grew a bit. “Aro wanted us to wear carnations in honor of our birth. It’s also so others will recognize us more.”

“Where do I have to put it?” I asked as I opened the box. In a bed of white silk, there lay a freshly cut flower. The smell was pleasant to my senses.

“Heidi decided to make yours into a bracelet. They were sprayed with water and frozen to keep them from dying so you won’t have to worry about the petals coming out. If they do, she ordered replacements for us,” Noah explained softly. I smiled at the both of them and tried the carnation to my wrist tight enough to keep it from falling off. Noah was right; the flower had been frozen.

“You both look _dashing_ ,” I chuckled once I finished securing the ribbon. Formals like this weren’t for the Swan family. “Are you ready to go now?”

Both of them nodded. “We were actually sent to come get you; Caius wants us arriving at the same time so we can arouse a bigger reaction from the crowd. Apparently there are many vampires here, at least the ones who are close friends to the Volturi. They are anxious to see us.”

Knowing that _they_ would never be considered friends of the Volturi after Aro found out what they had done to me, I felt calm. I had worried for a few days, night and day, about Evie and Noah having to meet them. They weren’t exaggerating before; vampires from all over the world were here to celebrate our birth. Because of us, there had been more peace in our society. Tonight though… it would be the first time anyone not on our hunted list or were not part of the guard would see us. No one knows what we look like.

“I guess he wants a good show, then,” I murmured and hooked my arm through Noah’s. Evie did the same on his opposite arm. “Come now, we must go and show the world who we truly are.”

We took our time walking; there was no need to hurry. No one had to sleep so the party would go on through the night and possibly all the next day. They were having their own fun without us and a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt them.

I thought about how this was sort of a new start for me. Over the past hundred years, I had most certainly grown. I had my children to thank for that. Being a mother helped me to grow up, to become even more independent, despite my large family. I had learned to lean on myself and only myself, unless something terrible happened. I had also learned that my feelings were nothing to the means of my family; they came first, always.

I wasn’t the same girl as before.

When we arrived in front of the closed doors to the hall, I stopped my children and put a finger to my lips, telling them to be silent. I wrapped my shield around them so no one would know we were coming and then motioned to Noah to tell Aro we were here.

Noah’s gift was special. He had the ability to push thoughts into someone’s mind. It didn’t matter if they were a shield, or were being shielded; he was invincible with his power. When he was a child, he was only able to do it through the palm of his hand and it was only images he could push in. Now, he was able to project it to anyone as well as I could project my shield, and he was able to literally talk into a person’s mind.

Evie’s gift was unique as well. While Noah put thoughts and images into someone’s mind, Evangeline could produce an illusion so powerful that no one could break it or see underneath of it. If she wanted, she could have made herself look like a man who was seven feet tall and had crooked teeth, tanned skin, and white eyes; not a soul would know it was her.

Aro had a theory when we discovered what both could do. He thought that maybe they had combined _his_ ability and mine, and literally twisted them around. Both were impenetrable yet never able to be ignored. This was probably because of how strong my shield is and how _he_ could read everyone’s mind, except mine.

Strong might be an understatement for my power. Nothing can affect me, except for strength of another vampire. When I was human, it was only those who had gifts that dealt with the mind that couldn’t affect me. After Heidi had changed me into a vampire, the shield had become unbelievably stronger to the point where even gifts dealing in the physical world couldn’t track me. We had tried this out with Demetri; Aro hid me in Asia and told him to track me. After a month, he finally gave up. His exact words made me giggle.

“It’s like she was completely wiped off the face of the world,” he had told Aro.

We had also worked with Renata, Aro’s personal shield. She couldn’t stop me at all. I was able to walk right past her without a blink of an eye. Later, we traveled around looking for a seer; it was hard since Alice Cullen was the only one known. Soon enough though, we found one and tested the theory. All he could see was me as a human and dying an accidental death. It puzzled us at first but then realized that it was what Evie had come up with in the womb.

Yes; they were that smart before they were born.

A slight bell rung through the hall, silencing the murmurs of vampires. Aro then spoke allowed. “Welcome; welcome my friends and loved ones! Tonight we have asked you to join us to celebrate the first century of three members of my family. They have been a great service to rely on and I think of them as my own children. I am pleased to see them grow with us and keep our world protected, as it should be. Tonight will be the first for a good many of you to see our prestigious ones as we have kept their lives a secret. Now, we would wish to introduce you to them and invite you to celebrate their birth.”

We took that as our signal to come in as two of the guards pulled the heavy doors opened. We sauntered in with grace as applause erupted in the hall. Vampires from all over smiled and cheered for us as we smiled and waved. Noah unlocked his arms from mine and Evie’s before wrapping them around our waists. He guided us through the path way they had cleared for us and I noticed that despite this being for us, Noah was still protective and alert.

Aro gestured for us to come up the stone steps so I broke rank first. I glided up the stairs and held my hand out to Aro. He kissed the top of my hand and then pulled me into a gentle hug before releasing me and hugging Evie. He then shook Noah’s hand while Caius hugged Evie and me. Evie was excited to see Caius’ appraise; she accepted him as the prominent man figure and Caius was more than happy to play the father role. Marcus had treated Evie like she was his granddaughter but took Noah under his wings to guide him into being a man. And Aro? Well, he was the goofy uncle I wish I had when I was growing up.

Aro held up his hand to silence the clapping as we turned to face the crowd. I looked over everyone more clearly; every woman was in a dress and every man wore a suit and cloak. Each outfit was black with a spark of color. They each looked perfect.

“Before we begin the actual festivities, I would like to present the Swan Coven with a gift for their services from my brothers and me. This gift will bestow on them the same respect that you give us, and will require complete silence.”

My curiosity peaked, along with my children’s. We looked at each other, our eyes asking silent questions. None of us knew about this.

Felix came up with a velvet box in hand, his steps slow and steady. When his gaze met mine, he winked and smirked; I could only wonder what was going on. I looked back out to the crowd of people and found Heidi in the back with the same expression. She held up her hand and gave me a thumb’s up in support.  So did Demetri, Alec, and Jane; obviously, all of my friends knew about this.

Aro opened the box slightly and then looked at me with an adoring smile. “Isabella, come here please,” he murmured softly. I nodded and came to stand in front of him. “Now kneel.”

I did as I was told and kneeled in front of him with Felix’s help. Heidi would kill me if I ruined the dress so it was important that he did. Aro touched my cheek gently and lifted my head so that my neck was exposed. I heard the slight gasps from my children and I understood why. Aro had done this exact same technique when he had to kill someone dear to him.

“Isabella, you are the leader of your coven. You have brought them into our world,” quite literally, “and led them to us. The three of you have done great deeds for us in the order to protect our secret. Not only are you my best warrior but I think of you as my own daughter as I have watched you grow since your rebirth. I hope you will take this as a token as forever being welcomed into my family and a guarantee of protection for you and your family,” he murmured.

He stepped back and took something small out of the box. He knelt down in front of me and all I felt were his icy hands on my neck. After a second of silence and another second with the sound of a snapping noise, he stood back up and held out his hands to me. I took them gratefully and he helped me off the floor before handing me a square thin object. I turned it over and discovered it was a mirror.

Hanging on the same chain that my crest was attached to was a small pendant. On the pendant was a silver V and hanging from that was a ruby teardrop, so delicately sculpted that it seemed like it would be crushed between my fingers if I touched it. I inhaled a sip of air as I realized that Aro had just given me the modernized version of the Volturi’s crest. This was big in our society. If you had this, you were somewhat considered nobility, even royalty if you were exceptionally closed to the Volturi princes. I looked up at Aro in shock but he only smiled. He tilted his head and I stepped back as he gestured for my children to come forth. He hooked an identical crest to mine on Evie’s chain and then clipped another to Noah’s band.

When Aro promised security for my family, I thought it would be the same always. I was wrong. This crest just labeled us as untouchable; any harm to us was now punishable by death and death alone.

The room erupted into cheers yet again as Aro hugged Noah, Evie, and then me. I felt like I was in shock… was it even possible for vampires to go into shock? I don’t know, nor do I care. If I was human, I would be crying.

“Now, as that is done, we will mock our human neighbors by singing the birthday song to our three celebrants!” Aro exclaimed with glee as he held up his hands. The vampires laughed but sang it; the whole song was in perfect tune and not a note was missed. They would outshine the world’s most perfect choir any day.

I had a feeling that if this had been a hundred years ago, my face would be as red and hot as lava.  I don’t think I would have mind it, seeing that Evie would have been the same.

When they were done, everyone clapped once more before the orchestra played. Servers in white and black tie walked around with wine glasses full of a crimson liquid that tickled the back of my throat. I only needed half of a guess to know what it was.

While Noah and Evie talked to a few people, I excused myself to go see Heidi. The bronze haired woman was leaning against the back wall with a glass in her hand and her lips stained red. When I finally broke through and got to her, I snatched the glass and took a gulp.

“I love you an all but come on, get your own drink;” she whined and took the goblet back. I grinned and leered at her.

“You knew. That whole time, you knew what Aro was going to do,” I stated. She shrugged; she knew she couldn’t deny it. Someone would have slipped that she did eventually.

“It was a secret, not to mention a gift from all of us.”

I nodded and threw my arms around her. I whispered my thanks in her ear before an arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me away from my best friend. Before I could speak to find out who my suitor was, he spun me around and I found the face of a very smug Demetri. I glared at him playfully.

“That was rude. I was in the middle of a conversation,” I murmured and gently slapped his chest. He rolled his eyes and moved my arms to wrap around his neck before doing the same to my waist. We swayed at first before moving into an actual dance.

Another perk of being one of the undead: I could dance without killing anyone.

“Heidi will get her moment with you later, I am sure. I wanted to steal your first dance tonight. I think I had reserved that right without it being said but still, just in case you forgot,” he murmured and brushed the tip of his nose up the length of my neck. I shivered involuntarily.

Demetri and I had developed something years ago. At first it was just a bunch of lame pickup lines and flirting on his part but soon enough, he cornered me. Though at the time I had still not recovered from heart break, he promised me nothing but smiles and good feelings. We didn’t love each other; we just somewhat dated from time to time, most of it being when one of us needed the other. We were each other’s distractions.

“Stop being a flirt,” I whispered. “Others will hear.”

“Let them,” he murmured and kissed a soft spot beneath my ear. I shivered again; it was a strange feeling, being so human. I haven’t been human in a century yet here I was, feeling these humane emotions. Maybe it’s a good thing I can’t sleep.

“My children are watching,” I whispered low enough that the words were barely audible. Only Demetri would hear me; that was my goal. No one outside the Volturi could figure out that they weren’t actual vampires yet.

“They’re grown; they understand,” He said as he gently bit my skin. I sighed and leaned my head on his shoulder. I knew I wasn’t going to win this argument; Demetri was just as stubborn as I was most of the time.

The orchestra changed to a new song that would have taken my breath away if I were human. It seemed so perfect, the beginning showing something terrible before working its way up to being soft and comforting.

Demetri and I twirled to the music, our graceful bodies gliding more than prancing. Those who were close to us, moved out of the way, pushing back into others and forcing them to move. Soon, we had claimed the entire dance floor to ourselves as we danced to the music. Our bodies turned into the notes of the instruments, increasing as the orchestra did before hitting the climax of the composure. Demetri dropped me into an arch and brought me back up into a stance slowly as the climax then turned into a soft melody. He only held my hand, letting me dance on my own to the soft lullaby. In the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but understand why Aro had them place this piece; it fit my life to the tip.

Would this be my official song? My calling theme?

Vampires from every direction applauded our performance with glee and cheer. I smiled shyly, bowing my head to them in respect before turning to look at Demetri. The male vampire flashed me a smile that showed he was proud of me.

“You are most beautiful, Isabella Marie Swan.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter Six

“Now that everyone is gone, we can be at peace!” Aro said, clapping his hands once. The brothers returned to their thrones after the cleanup commenced and the rest of us took our lingering spots through the hall as usual. Mine was with my children at the steps before the thrones.

It wasn’t that we preferred to sit on the stone steps. This was our usual guard spot, front and center. Because we were the Volturi’s personal guards, it was best that we put ourselves before them. Not only did we serve as a warning, it gave me the advantage of always having my shield around them. It also gave time for Noah and Evie to act.

“At times like this, I wish I needed sleep,” Noah muttered as he sprawled out across the marble steps. He laid his head in my lap, giving me the chance to distract myself with his hair.

“It’s your own fault, moron. You ate too much human food with about five or six goblets of blood. We told you not to mix too much,” Evie chuckled as she sat down on the opposite side of me. She leaned her head against my shoulder, snuggling close, so I wrapped my arm around her shoulders to hold her close.

We were pretty tight as a family. There weren’t any secrets in the Swan Coven, only open thoughts and shared emotions. If we had a disagreement or an argument, we talked about it. I had tried my best with the help of others to raise my children with manners and respect for family. When we visited Charlie, he would help me too but still managed to spoil them a little. It was the same with the pack; after they had accepted what happened, they had played a major part in the kids’ lives as they grew up.

“I think now is the time to discuss some things, don’t you agree brothers?” Aro’s voice had broken my concentration, causing me to look over my shoulder at the three Volturi brothers. Aro stood again and looked down at me. “Isabella, we have a… an assignment for your family again.”

I gently nudged my children away from me and stood up. I did it slowly so I didn’t tear the beautiful gown and then walked up the steps to Aro. He held his hand to me and I took once I reached the top, lifting my shield in the process. I could feel Aro prodding my mind, looking through all of my thoughts.

“You are doing well, my beautiful Isabella,” he murmured. I closed my eyes, ignoring the soft throb of pain in my chest. I knew exactly what he was talking about; I still wasn’t over the pain I had endured a century ago. It was nowhere near what it used to be; now it was just a sad memory I wish I could just forget.

I’ll never forget though.

“I think you’ll be okay with this assignment, Isabella. You are my strongest, my leader,” Aro continued. “I wish for you to return to Forks, Washington.”

My eyes snapped open the moment I heard the first syllable. Behind me, I could hear my children spring to their feet. “Forks?” I asked hesitantly. I haven’t been there since Charlie’s funeral. That was the last time and I didn’t think I would go back.

Caius nodded from his place behind Aro. “There is a group of rogues causing too much trouble. They’re killing freely and in one area. We feel that you and your family would do well to handle them.”

“How many?” I asked. My shield went back up, guarding my emotions from Aro and the rest of the world. Aro frowned slightly and dropped my hand, knowing that my emotions had changed by how my voice had turned professional.

“Six, maybe seven; that is, if they haven’t created anymore,” Marcus explained.

“As much as I hate to admit it, it might take more than just my family to take out that many,” I murmured. Aro nodded and smiled again.

“That is why Heidi, Demetri, and Felix will be joining you. We think they have them close to the high school because of the age of the rogues so you and your children will be enrolling into school. The others will act as your guardians, older siblings if you will, since they are too old to pass as students. “

I wanted to strangle somebody. It was probably fate’s sick way of punishing me, sending me through high school again. It was bad enough the first time but to go through it again… that was a slap in a face, alright.

“So we get to attend high school?” Evie asked excitedly. I rolled my eyes; of course she was. No doubt Noah was too; neither of them had attended school before. I had taught them everything.

“You’ve already been enrolled. House has been bought, too. All you need to do is personalize it to your liking.”

I suppressed a whimper. They had this all planned out and only now are they telling us. “Fine,” I murmured as I met Aro’s gaze. “We’ll do the assignment. But I want to compromise since you know how hard this will be for me.”

Marcus nodded while Caius smiled softly. “Anything for you Isabella.”

“I want our cars delivered there. If I have to stay there, I want my car. I’ll need it for when I need to distract myself,” I explained. It was a fair compromise too. They knew how much my car meant to me; the same with my kids.

For our fiftieth birthdays, Aro gave us three cars, all beautiful and glossy. Noah was given a Hennessey _Venom GT Spyder_ , a tiny black sports car that stood only inches off the ground, if that. It would only hold two people but he loved it. Evie was given a white Lamborghini _Gallardo_ with red leather inside. It fit her innocent look yet made her a devil on the streets. She drove almost as fast as I did.

Then there was my car, my precious baby. Aro had picked it out especially for me; his reason was it conveyed the power and elegance I possessed. I didn’t agree but I loved the black Bugatti _Veyron_ as if it were a third child.

“That can easily be arranged. Any other requests, dearest?” Aro asked. He was amused by my antics.

I thought for a moment then nodded. “Can we do a bit of shopping beforehand? I prefer Italian clothing to American,” I said.

“Consider it approved; get as much as you would like. You know how much we approve of style,” Caius chuckled. I smiled gently at him as I nodded. It was true, too; those of the Volturi were vain. Beauty and impressions were as important as being deadly.

“When do we leave Aro?” Noah asked.

“Tomorrow night. We want to rid ourselves of this problem as soon as possible,” he answered. I nodded and turned to my children.

“Well… I guess we should get some shopping done then.”

           

Heidi decided to come with us since she would be designing the house. She took Noah with her to order furniture for all of us while Evie and I went shopping for clothing. That was a fine choice for all of us; Noah hated shopping with us and since I was a similar size to Heidi with the same taste in style, we often shared our wardrobe.

My daughter, on the other hand, was similar to what I was like as a human. She wasn’t a fanatic about shopping, and preferred modest and comfortable over style and beauty. I was perfectly okay with that, because she still picked out the prettiest clothing.

“What about this, mama?” She asked quietly, holding up a floor length black skirt. It was made of some kind of netting material that reminded me of fairies.

“Go try it on, see how it looks on you. I’m sure it’ll be fantastic,” I responded with an encouraging smile. My daughter blushed brightly and nodded before dashing off to the changing rooms, skirt still in hand.

I don’t think she knew how much I loved being called ‘mama’. The kids rarely did now, especially since they looked a tiny bit older than I did, but sometimes Evie would when it was just us. Noah only did when he was scared out of his mind or if Evie was trying to get revenge on him from one of his pranks.

Like I said, we were a close family but sometimes I think I was closer to Evie than I was to Noah. Was it the gender difference? Maybe; but also Noah was outgoing and erratic. Evie was more like I was as a human: humble, quiet, and sort of an introvert. The only difference? My baby was beautiful and nowhere near as klutzy.

A special item of clothing caught my attention, stealing me away from my thoughts. It was a leather jacket, black and form fitting with silver décor. It screamed attention and style, making me move closer for a better look. I picked it up and brushed my fingers down the soft leather as I closed my eyes. I inhaled, taking in its crisp scent.

“Why don’t you try it on, mama?”

I turned around to see Evie, wearing the long skirt beautifully, and tilted my head. “Do you think it will look alright?”

Evie shrugged. “Everything seems to look good on you, mama. That fits your style though; you’ll have those human boys drooling at your feet. They won’t be able to resist you.”

My laugh sounded the same as the day I was awakened. It shimmered like twinkling bells, a soprano pitch with an alto echo. I was blessed, as so many had kindly reminded me, to have a beautiful voice.

“Do you think so, Evie? Will human boys not be intimidated enough by me already? Will they find me irresistible?” I asked teasingly. She blushed and nodded. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead; there was no way in my life that I could not love her. “We shall see. I think they will fancy you more though; you are most beautiful.”

“Mama, you know I don’t like human boys,” she whispered. I nodded slowly; she had had a bad experience during a mission in South Africa. A boy, one barely older than her, tried to take advantage of her.

Needless to say, her brother and I did not allow him to live.

“He was a terrible person, Evangeline. Not all human boys are like him. I knew a few from when I was human and they were perfectly fine, aside from immature mindsets. But then again, look at your brother; he is half vampire yet still like human males.” I explained softly. Evie nodded and leaned her forehead against my shoulder for a second before standing straight, composing her emotions back into order.

“I think you should wear that on the first day of school. We’ll pick out an entire outfit to go with it, accessories and shoes included.”

“Only if we can do the same with that skirt; it looks beautiful on you, Eve,” I compromised. Evie blushed once again but nodded. I could tell she loved the skirt.

An hour later, we each had an entire outfit picked out and tried on. We both stood in front of the mirror to see what we had picked out and neither of us could stop smiling. To go with her skirt, Evie had picked out a lacy pink blouse with three-quarter sleeves and a simple scoop neck outline. It was longer but overlapped the skirt in a good way. Her shoes were silver gladiator sandals that had become so popular again and matching bangles hung from both wrists. Around her neck were our crests. She looked as sweet as an angel with a smile to match.

My outfit was on the opposite spectrum of hers, anything but sweet and angelic. Underneath my jacket was a deep red tank top in a similar lace pattern to her shirt but nowhere near as long. To go with the jacket, I had on a pair of leather pants that fit snug and low on my hips. My shoes were flat combat boots that laced over the pants tightly. I also bore the crest but nothing was on my wrists; instead, Evie picked out a ring. On the ring was a dove shaped out of silver and opal stones.

“It’s as sparkly as your skin, mama,” Evie whispered. I looked down at the ring and smiled as it reflected the lights.

“Perfect fit then, I guess. Now come on, let’s get changed and check out so we can go to a few other stores. We only have one outfit out of a whole wardrobe picked out,” I said teasingly. Evie giggled and nodded before starting to change. Afterwards, we were off.            

After four hours and a couple thousand dollars later, Evie and I had finished our shopping spree. It was a lot, I’ll admit; the car was packed with bags upon bags. We ran out of room within the last hour so we started filling Noah’s trunk with them.

“Jesus, how much did you to buy?” He asked when he and Heidi met up with us at our cars. He wasn’t shocked; we had done worse damage in the past but he was still amused.

“What; are you planning on showing the poor people of Forks what they missed in the last century or something, Bells?” Heidi asked with a slight chuckle. She pulled down her glasses, revealing blood red irises that glowed from a recent feeding. I rolled my eyes.

“Did you at least clean up after yourself?” I questioned, ignoring her statement.

“He won’t remember a thing except for how he got a giant hickey from a lonely woman in need of some lovin’. He’ll have a bit of explaining to do because of your boy here,” Heidi answered, patting my son on the back. Noah rolled his eyes and loaded her few bags into the back seat of his car.

I was sort of proud of Heidi. Not because of the fact that she used my son like that but because she fed without having to kill. Ever since I had figured out tricks to stop feeding, our death rate among the guard declined. The only ones who killed their meals still were the Princes and occasionally Jane and Alec.

But soon my thoughts were in another direction as I got into the car with my daughter; I would be returning to where my life began in only a short amount of time. So much had changed since I left and I didn’t know how much of it was for the good. All I could assume was that there was one person I needed to visit before I got settled in and see if he was still a wolf.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think?


	7. Chapter Seven

 

“We will miss you,” Jane said as she patted my shoulder. Today was one of the few days Jane dressed like a human and stepped out of Volterra with means other than business. She had sunglasses on to hide her eyes but other than that, she blended in well as a child.

“We’ll miss you too, Jane; all of you,” I replied. Evie nodded her head eagerly and stepped forward, enveloping Jane in a hug. Out of my family, she was the most physically affectionate.

“But we’ll be home soon; Rogues don’t take that long to get rid of,” Noah added. Jane nodded and then waved to Heidi. Heidi looked bored but waved back.

“Cheer up kid; now that Bella’s out of the picture for a bit of time, you’ll be top dog again,” Heidi teased. Jane cracked a rare smile before wishing us off when the announcement came over air that our plane was boarding.

“Alright gang, to Forks, Washington it is!” Noah cheered. I grabbed Evie’s hand and followed her brother onto the plane with Heidi following behind. Demetri and Felix had taken an earlier flight to make sure all of the deliveries, including our cars, made it there undamaged.

“Sadly,” I muttered softly to myself. Evie squeezed my hand encouragingly with a soft smile. I could read the request in her eyes; she wanted me to try and be positive. I nodded once though I wasn’t sure if I could follow through with this. It would be hard going back. Hard and painful.

The last time I was in Forks was for Charlie’s funeral. I had buried him yet no one knew it was me because to them, Bella Swan was long dead from a tragic accident. The whole time, Evie had kept me under her charm, disguised as one of Jacob’s cousins. I had watched my elderly mother cry, not only because her first love was gone but because Charlie was buried next to a plate that showed my own demise.

The only ones who knew I was there were the wolves. And I hadn’t seen them since.

“Do you think Jake and the boys will still be young looking?” Noah asked as we took our seats in the private section of the plane. Evie sat next to her brother while Heidi sat next to me.

I shrugged in response. “Depends on how long vampires have been there. They stop aging when their near La Push. For all we know, the pack could be a new generation and Jake’s one of the elders.”

“Didn’t the rest pass?” Heidi asked. I was sort of shocked by her interest. She hated the wolves almost as much as Caius did.

“I’m pretty sure. Billy and Sue passed on soon after Charlie. The others were older than them so I’m pretty sure they’re dead. I wonder if Sam’s still Alpha though,” Evie murmured. She had grown close to the boys when I let them visit, especially Sam. They were her adopted older brothers.

“Well, we will find out soon enough,” Noah murmured as he settled into his seat. None of us bothered to put on our seatbelts as the plane went to take off. The jolt barely affected us.

“One question Bells… how are we going to feed in such a small time? This isn’t a day and over mission,” Heidi commented. I frowned; we hadn’t thought about it.

“I’ll have to feed regularly if I’m attending school so I’ll probably hunt animals too… we’ll have to go to different cities to hunt humans though. You and the guys could probably go to Port Angeles one weekend and then to Seattle another one. You could even go out of state if need be, like to Portland… we just can’t cause more trouble with the rogues already on the loose.”

Heidi made a sound of disgust and I couldn’t blame her. Hunting animals was disgusting; they tasted stale and rancid. Not to mention, the whole act reminded me too much of _them_. I realized though it had to be done; I couldn’t just attack a kid in the middle of school. It would be hard enough after a century of drinking from humans.

“We’ll refrain from hunting all together, I guess. I’m sure we could last without it for a few weeks,” Evie murmured hesitantly. I shook my head in response.

“No, absolutely not; you two should hunt with me because you’ll need to keep up your strength especially. I can’t have either of you getting hurt,” I replied.

“Animals?” Noah asked with a sullen expression.

Again, I shook my head. “No. You two will have to work together to feed on humans. Animals won’t give you the energy you’ll need. Can you both feed without killing anyone?”

“It should be pretty easy for them Bella. Noah was able to cover up my hunts so with both of their gifts, they should be okay.”

“We’ll be okay,” Evie added to Heidi’s words. I nodded and stared out at the window. We were getting farther and farther off the ground. I couldn’t help but think something would go wrong with this. Something would happen.

 

By the time we got to the house I had spent so much of my time at, it was nightfall. Out front stood an overly tall man, probably in his mid twenties; he stared at the car as we put it in park with curious eyes. I cut the engine and told everyone else to wait as I got out of the car.

“Either I’m dead or I’m seeing a ghost,” the man chuckled. I had that laugh imprinted on my memory and couldn’t help but shut the driver side door and walk closer.

“Come on Jake, we both know ghosts don’t exist,” I replied. His lips spread into a wide grin and soon, the giant wolf was running at me full speed. In the next feel seconds, I was wrapped in his arms and off the ground.

“Bella Swan, how dare you show your face around here after so many fucking years of going MIA on us,” he growled and set me back down on the ground. I still stayed in his arms with my head against his chest. His hot skin burned my cheek.

“I missed you too, Jake,” I murmured and peered up at him. I felt like he had grown even more; that or I had gotten smaller.

“Where’s the two squirts?” he asked as he peered at the car. I peeked over my shoulder and waved for them to get out. Evie was the first one to jump out and I knew to back off.

“JACOB!” Evie shouted as she launched herself into his arms. Jacob swung her around like her had done to me.

“Hey Evers! Damn, look at you,” he chuckled and kissed her forehead gently. As per usual, Evie blushed, especially at her old nickname.

Jake didn’t bother to put my daughter down when he looked up to greet my slow approaching son. He merely shifted her to one side, never letting her feet touch the dirt, and held out his hand to Noah. Noah shook his hand and nodded. They’re relationship was more professional.

“So, I’m going to guess your reason for being here deals with the murders on the trails?” Jacob asked as Evie snuggled against his chest. I had a feeling she still had a slight crush on him.

I nodded. “Yeah; Aro said they gained a few more vampires and the murders are too frequent so he sent us to ‘intervene’. We’ll be here for a while,” I answered. “I thought I would stop by though, just to see if you were still a freaking giant and all,” I added teasingly, making his grin turn sly.

“Been this way ever since you left; guess vampires can’t just stay away from this area,” Jake explained. “Do you guys want to come in?”

Noah shook his head and looked back at the car. “Heidi’s with us. She’s in a bad enough mood just being here,” he muttered. Jacob chuckled and looked at me.

“Plus we have to get settled in. Don’t worry though, we’ll be back. I’ll bring them over so we can see the rest of the pack,” I added. Jacob nodded and sat Evie back down.

“Promise me Bells; you aren’t going to just leave without telling me again, are you?”

I flinched internally and felt guilt for leaving the last time. I hadn’t said a word; just disappeared on a plane and never game back. “No Jake; I promise I won’t leave like that again.”

We parted ways in the next few minutes. It was hard because there was so much to catch up on. Noah had to literally pry his sister off Jake and forced her into the car. Both of us laughed and after one last hug, I got back into the car.

“I don’t know how you stand the smell, Bella,” Heidi hissed as I pulled out of the driveway, making me laugh.

“Love tends to diffuse it, Heidi,” I replied. The rest of the car ride was quiet, apart from the music that Noah had turned on. The soft voice of Florence Welch whispered from the back and side speakers, keeping us all silent and trapped with thoughts.

Seeing Jake again was a miracle and probably made me a little bit more positive about the mission. I knew I could rely on him, especially since he had no hard feelings. It also made me happy that I wouldn’t have to deal with new wolves.

“Whoa… that’s the house?” Noah asked when I pulled down a deserted driveway. Fifteen minutes in, a giant cabin styled house was revealed. Leave it to Aro to still manage style in the middle of the woods.

“Nice,” Heidi added with a smirk. I parked the car out front and all of us hopped out. We were greeted by Demetri and Felix, both dressed in regular jeans and t-shirts. I waved to them and tossed the keys to Felix.

“You think this is nice, wait until you see the inside. It’s magnificent,” Demetri murmured as he joined my side. I grinned and laced my fingers into his hand. He pulled me close and pressed his lips to my temple.

“Mom, cut it out; we’re your children here,” Noah whined. I chuckled and after pecking Demetri’s cheek, I nudged him away. _Later_ , I mouthed, making him grin.

“Sorry,” I muttered and pulled away to pat my son on the head. Noah frowned and rolled his eyes. I looked back at Demetri over my shoulder and smiled. “Are the cars safe and sound?” I questioned.

He nodded and gestured to the giant garage a few yards off to the side of the house. I giggled and turned back to the twins. “No drives out on the main roads tonight but you can take them around here. Don’t get them muddy though; we start school tomorrow and I don’t want to waste my time washing them off tonight,” I said. Both of them grinned and ran to the garages eagerly.

“Sneaky,” Demetri purred in my ear. I shrank into him and let his arms wind around my waist.

“You keep this up and I’ll feel awfully awkward introducing you to humans as my older brother,” I groaned. He laughed quietly and pressed his lips to my neck. “You’re teasing, D.”

“Well I did manage to get all the rooms set up…” he whispered. I rolled my eyes and chuckled.

“I am not sleeping with you. You know I draw the line at that; fooling around, sure, but not that. I’m still not ready.” I expected him to roll his eyes and protest but he didn’t. Instead he buried his face in my neck and continued to kiss my skin. I sighed and played with his hair.

“I have forever to wait,” he murmured. Forever indeed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here's another update. Hope you enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! So this story was originally started around 2013... I had posted it on wattpad for the longest time. After some personal matters, I had forgotten the story but now, literally four years later, I decided to continue with it. The majority of the chapters I'll be posting first were written by a sixteen year old girl with a different writing style... I know a lot of it probably won't add up but it's been a fun project to work on and I'm kind of excited to finish it. Let me know what you think - any tips and feedback is so very appreciated! 
> 
> Also, I've come to learn some readers associate songs when they read. If you have a song in mind that fits a particular chapter or the story in general, let me know! Thanks!


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